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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29949105">Love makes you vulnerable</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnArrayOFCrieffs/pseuds/AnArrayOFCrieffs'>AnArrayOFCrieffs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Torchwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Episode s02 E4 meat, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:33:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,270</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29949105</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnArrayOFCrieffs/pseuds/AnArrayOFCrieffs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Just as the every one around him realises how much ianto means to jack, ianto realises how little he means to jack. </p><p>Set during series two episode 4 MEAT </p><p>the events in the warehouse make the team consider what went so wrong</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Toshiko</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Toshiko. </p>
<p>What a day, tosh let herself in to her house. It had been possiably the worst day since she’d been at Torchwood. She just wanted to loose herself in something. The day had pretty much been an unpresidented disaster. It should have been a simple case, clear up the meat, plant some false evidence, return the creature through the rift. It however had ended with a complete failure of a mission and to top it all the confrontation between Gwen and Jack.<br/>
As much as she liked Gwen, the fact that she was the only one that got to go home to a relationship didn’t actually seem fair. Her cold barrating of jack at the end of the day hadn’t helped much. It wasn’t like they hadn’t had relationships, it’s just Torchwood always found a way to get in the way, and until today gwen had been living a double life.<br/>
Toshiko uncapped herself a bottle of larger, logging on to her laptop, there was something equations. They were safe and reliable and the total opposite of the day had been.<br/>
It wasn’t even that they’d failed the mission, they’d failed at least some extent before. But today was almost entirely of their own making. When had it started to go wrong, she took a gulp of her lager thinking back over the day. </p>
<p>“They’ve got Rhys and ianto” They heard Owen across the coms. What made Toshiko pause though was the emotion that flashed across the faces of both her colleagues. Gwen she understood, the welsh woman had protested about her fiancé’s involvement from the word go, had almost given up their position just minutes ago. But Jack, she could almost have sworn the look was exactly the same as Gwen’s. It couldn’t be for Rhys. So for ianto then. She knew they’d had history, before Jack had disappeared but even if they’d reengaged in their whatever it was, surely it couldn’t have been serious enough. She didn’t really have time to consider it further than the second. As the look was so fleeting before Jack took a deep breathe as he dived after Gwen. Pulling her back to their hidden position<br/>
From that moment the mission had shifted focus and was on a knife edge. But again they’d had so many days when everything included the fate of the world balanced on a difference as slight as the time it took to take a breath, the majority of the time they were more than capable of tipping that balance and gaining control. It wasn’t even like the other party they were combating was even able to take advantage. They were just a bunch of petty criminals well out of their depth. </p>
<p>She shook her head logging on to the right predictor equations. Barely able to focus them.<br/>
She was still replying the day trying to work out what had happened how they’d end up in the situation.<br/>
She knew Owen would be blaming Gwen and given her show down with Jack it was possibly easy to believe that she’d be the weakest link but tosh wasn’t so sure. </p>
<p>Gwen was hidden behind the next shipping create, desperate to get to Rhys, tosh couldn’t even imagine how she must have felt seeing her fiancé held with a gun to his neck but it wasn’t Gwen who was stood next herself, breathing noticeably ragged, that was jack. She’d been on so so many many swoons with Jack, never had he seemed out of control of his own reactions. </p>
<p>“Show yourselves or I’ll shoot the delivery boy” before tosh had really been able to register she’d heard gwen’s voice.<br/>
“Ok” Gwen surrendered her position. Tosh sighed, they’d known going in to the warehouse allowing Rhys was a massive  risk with the potential to cost them the mission. But he and he alone had been critical in getting them in they wouldn’t even have got this far without him. she thought for a moment that was the second they’d lost control, but now she realised at that point at time both her and Jack were both armed and concealed. Owen hadn’t been compromised. They’d known that Gwen was a liability going in to the warehouse, but actually Gwen had migrated that risk, once she’d surrendered she seemed to take control started to swing the balance back in their favour. </p>
<p>Gwen  tried to appease the gang leader, showing all her police training to resolve conflict. She adaptly tried to take control of situation, knowing age had to protect jack and Toshs position. Locking eyes with Rhys and ianto, to reassure them. Jack got his breathing back under control, although she’d just proved why he was concerned she was now proving what an asset she was. Even prepared to put herself in danger to protect the hostages and her colleagues position. Tosh shook herself at the realisation her feelings towards Gwen right then were at least slightly misplaced it hadn’t been her at that had been the been a fault. Could that mean they’d underestimated the gang, had they gone in to the situation blind was it a situation that they were never going to win. If it wasn’t gwens feelings for Rhys that had tipped the balance, what had. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Dale far corner, two more”<br/>
Jack grimaced with annoyance but put his arm across Toshiko to hold their position. </p>
<p>Dale grabbed ianto holding a gun under his chin. “Take out your weapons stand where I can see you” before Tosh could stop him jack broke cover, chucking his gun well out of range. Tosh snapped out of her thoughts, before she could stop him, she should have stopped him in fact she’d instinctively started to make a grab for him, she’d tried to stop Jack her boss their boss, the most senior agent with over a hundred years experience in the field was the one that had been the one thrown the mission from we could get out of by alive with good evidence to hand over to the police and a space whale to the situation that could have seen all losing their lives. She’d followed jack in giving up her gun but certainly a lot more reluctantly than he had. It was almost conceding defeat. Toshiko drained half of her bottle of drink in two gulps, trying to process how Falliable the Captain had been. </p>
<p>She closed her eyes sighing again as the last few minutes in the wearhouse played out in her mind it was like watching a dissenter movie, she had been reduced to not much more than spectator, she views it now as she had hours before, helpless. </p>
<p>“No your lied to me” dale squeezed the trigger.<br/>
Rhys moved lunged in front of Gwen his face hard and determined  to protect his girlfriend. </p>
<p>in the split second as the gun shot echoed around the room. As ianto lunged for Dale’s gun, the same look crossed Jacks face as had rhys’s seconds before<br/>
“No” jack lunged towards his gun tosh couldn’t help but notice the panic laden tone in his voice. he aimed his gun but lowered it in defeat, Toshiko realised he couldn’t get a clear shot on dale without hitting ianto. She’d never seen Jack concede defeat, his eyes flashed the same emotion that gwens had moments before as Dale aimed his gun at iantos chest. Gwens choices, could be expected. But Jacks had followed the same pattern since owens voice had come through the comms. </p>
<p>The shrill ringing of her mobile shook her back to the present<br/>
She flicked it open “Owen?!” </p>
<p>She wasn’t entirely sure why she’d agreed for Owen to come round. But then that had been something else about the day. The way Owen had held on too her, as the creature took its last pitiful pained breath.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Owen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Owen is trying to forget the day! A conversation with a Toshiko helps him notice.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Owen eyed the blonde dressed in next to nothing at the other end of the bar, downing his drink in one as the bar girl pored another. He noticed the girl was also eying him. His lips formed in to his come on smile enticing her away from her group of friends. He needed this tonight. No even for Torchwood it had been one of the toughest days and now he just wanted to get drunk and shag anger and pain away. The girl was standing in front of him now.<br/>“Alright sweetheart what ya drinking” he gestured the bar staff over, but before the staff could come and fix his order the blonde dived forward locking her lips on to his. Owen closed his eyes to soak in the kiss the image of the space whale came in to mind, he felt the girls hands on his flies sloping her hand between his skin and the fabric. He could almost feel toshs soft comforting touch on his shoulder. He stopped the kiss pulling away from the girl feeling immensely guilty, he’d given her the come on after all. But he needed to know just how today had gone so desperately wrong. <br/>Leaving him with no option, an option that was never part of the plan. <br/>He pulled the girls hand from out of his Jeans “I’m sorry it’s me” he drained the last of his whiskey before leaving. </p><p>Outside the cold air hit him clearing his mind some what. He shuck his head “odd choice Harper!” He muttered to himself as his put a cigarette in his mouth. Lighting it, he considered his options, he’d not been in the room, the first he knew of the mission going wrong was jack on coms telling him that Rhys had been shot, and they needed the sedative then, even then he hadn’t realised how seriously wrong it had gone until a manic ianto had appeared at the seductive room door tasering the gang member Owen was fighting with, telling Owen to help them and the whale was out of control. He needed to know, so who would tell him, ianto, no ianto had had a chance to tell him as he’d treated the rope burns on his hands instead he’d just sat in silence while Owen worked. Jack? Well he was probably still brooding in his office after his shouting match with Gwen, Rhys and Gwen, well they were more than likely the reason it had gone so wrong, and he had no disoriented to see his former lover after her hurtful words. He remembered what had just stopped him going any further with the pretty girl in the club, the soft comforting touch. Tosh then. As soon as he’d come to that decision he relised he was already calling her. </p><p>This in its self could take them some where he wasn’t sure he was ready to go. It wasn’t like hadn’t noticed the little sidewise glances tosh gave him, how his affair with Gwen had affected, he’d be lying if wasn’t something he’d always wondered about. He’d insentively dismissed her even today. But then it was her who had comforted him when he’d been left with no choice than euphonise the poor creature. It had felt some how  warming as tosh had taken his hand, trying to reassure him that it wasn’t his fault. Gwen often bitched him and Jack about being unfeeling bastards, but she had brought Rhys in, put them all at risk, turned the mission on a knife edge. Jack had been absolutely dejected by the whales  death, he himself had cost a life he should have been saving. She’d been the one who’d not cared today. </p><p>Tosh guided Owen to the kitchen gesturing for him to take a seat as she opened two of the bottles of larger he’d brought with him, passing one to him. “What is it Owen?” </p><p>“Well that was a fucking disaster  tosh, she can’t completely destroy a mission and then not Retcon Rhys” <br/>He took a sip from the bottle , “I had no choice  it was her fault but she has no remorse and I’m left feeling like Jacks disappointed and with the guilt of being able to do nothing” <br/>Tosh shook her head “it wasn’t Gwen” <br/>“She insisted in bringing Rhys in to the hub, wouldn’t step back when Jack told her too, then dictated wether she followed protocol or not” He was starting to calm “how wasn’t it gwen” </p><p>“Oh right from the start we were compromised by having Rhys with us but we still had a chance, in fact Rhys was pretty critical in getting in there” tosh found a bag of Crisps poring it in to a bowl she placed them between them pushing it towards Owen to share “the decisions were made that weren’t made with reason, emotion over ruled” <br/>“Exactly” Owen started firmly “having Rhys there always meant she wouldn’t keep a clear head” <br/>“Not just by Gwen, Owen” Owen frowned “we knew there was risk with Rhys, what happened was because of something we didn’t know perhaps should have done but until now couldn’t have known for sure” <br/>“Any time you want to speak in English . what happened tosh” <br/>Tosh sighed “Owen, sure Gwen made some dodgy decisions but she was handling Dale, really well actually while protecting jack and mine position it was Jack broke cover and surrendered our guns” </p><p>“Jack what the hell did he do that for?!?!” </p><p>“decisions were made with the heart rather than the head I guess” <br/>“That makes his little show down with her that makes sense” Owen said ruefully “i guess I can’t talk” <br/>“No actually that’s the thing that doesn’t make sense it doesn’t match any of his other choices today” she sighed  </p><p>“ I don’t know I’m just trying to work it out myself but he definately made decisions that weren’t necessarily the best for us or the mission” </p><p>“So you keep saying I’m really not following Jack has always said that he can’t let emotions rule the decisions he makes, that’s his biggest clash with Gwen, he forgets we’re dealing with humans, his show down with Gwen was definately driven by emotion, he’d never do what Gwen did and put one person before the team before the whale” </p><p>“But he did Owen he put ianto first all day he’s put ianto first” </p><p>“Teaboy?” Owen frowned “wait what teaboy?!”</p><p>“Oh” tosh comes to another realisation “he hates it when you do that” </p><p>“Not ianto, Jack hates it you idiot” tosh sighed “it’s obvious, iantos more and more involved, when was the last time ianto didn’t come with us, he’s always with Jack but their both so” </p><p>“Private?!” Owen agreed “they both keep everything hidden, Jesus their both masters of deception and secrets one of them kept a fucking cyberwoman in our basement for months the other we literally can’t find anything about” </p><p>“So either they want us to know or they can’t help it... like Gwen couldn’t help the need to protect Rhys I don’t think Jack could help the need to protect ianto” </p><p>“But he didn’t contradict you when you said we were all sad and single” <br/>“No but he’s eyes were following Jack there always following jack” </p><p> </p><p>“Teaboy” Owen took a massive mouthful of his lager “you dark horse teaboy!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Gwen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>***gwen****</p><p>Gwen shifted closer to Rhys on the sofa, his good arm wrapped around her protectively,she ought to wake him so they could go to bed, it had been one hell of a day. She’d never forgive Jack for putting Rhys in danger. For some one who’d always  been desperately reluctant to involve any one in the team, Jacks insistence of Rhys’s involvement has been odd, maybe she’d been unfair, when she’d stormed back in to the hub, yelling about how they couldn’t know how she felt. It had been one of the easiest missions, it had been an unmitigated disaster. In many ways harder to process the mess opening the rift had caused, they’d known they were playing with fire, today was the very oppisite, even in her days on the force today would have been seen as an easy operation, For Torchwood it shouldn’t have been a struggle. </p><p> </p><p>she’d felt like she’d been butting heads with him and ianto all day. </p><p>She paused for a moment, with ianto, she’d not noticed but there was no denying everything they did these days had ianto in it. Had she really expected him just to step back into his coffee background support when Jack got back? To be honest no, the four of them had made Torchwood work he was very much part of the team now. She hadn’t noticed though just how much, But for some reason today she felt resentful towards him, it had been ianto that was insistent that the driver must have seen the van loaded, him who’d been sly passing around notes to jack, it had been him that had been directing her and jack in, seemingly taking charge when Owen was by far the more senior, and far more experienced. </p><p>How would Jack know how loving Rhys made her vulnerable, it actually made her stronger, made her able to face the shit Torchwood through at them. It made her better. None of them could, none of them had partners, but there was something in his voice, she hadn’t noticed it, but it was like he was feeling as vulnerable as she was, but, how could he?!? </p><p>Was it her or had that tremble been there when Owen told them the the gang was armed, he’d certainly had to breathe deeply before telling her to stay where they were, she’d  felt Jacks  hands trembling, she’d never known him to falter, his firm had been at odds with the doubt in his eyes, who had he been telling it was going to be ok Her or was he trying to convince himself. </p><p>He’d not said a word about how she’d compromised, it was like he understood Rhys life was in danger, and then how quickly had he surrendered after her, seconds? Giving Toshiko no choice. He hadn’t come out when Dale had threatened to shoot her. Yet when he’d grabbed ianto his reaction had been the same as hers when they’d threatened to shoot Rhys. </p><p>Then her memories were just full of noise, the gunshot, then a second, Jacks scream of no panicked and terrified, then the sound of the creatures bindings breaking. But that meant it wasn’t the creature breaking free that had terrified him, had ianto been shot, she knew he hadn’t now, but at the time there was no way to tell that. Even at the time even though she’d been desparetly clinging to Rhys she’d heard his voice crack as he ordered ianto after the criminals, she’d never heard such emotion in his voice. He hadn’t looked at her and Rhys until she heard ianto scurry from the room. </p><p>In contrast to the noise of the warehouse the SUV back to the hub had been almost silent except for owens occasional mutterings as he tried to treat Rhys injury  Semi conscious Rhys propped between her and Owen in the back ianto in the  passengers seat resting his forehead against the window, the adrenaline draining. Air thick with anger, resentment, fear things no one trusting themselves to speak. She’d convinced herself she’d imagined Jacks glances towards the passenger seat, he was glancing towards the back seat too occasionally. </p><p>“Rhys” she nudged him awake “time for bed sweetheart... more comfortable” she helped him to the bedroom helping him lay down. </p><p>“Lover” Rhys murmured as she got ready for bed herself “Jack said the guys wouldn’t remember ... how come I do” </p><p>“Doesn’t matter, time for sleep” </p><p>How could they expect her to Retcon Rhys, how could they understand, none of them had partners, Owen and tosh wittering about how she had too wipe his memory, ianto declaring something about about rules as if he and Jack had the final say him and Jack,<br/>
him and Jack, Jack and ianto Where had that come from thinking of them together, like people said her and Rhys. But that was it wasn’t it, not not only was he in the hub more and the tourist office less,  not only was he going on more missions, he was always there, always the first to follow jack, just off Jacks shoulder, leaning against Jacks office door, that’s where he’d been when she’d brought Rhys in yesterday despite the fact jack had been on upper gantry, that’s where he’d been tonight whilst she’d ranted,  just over jacks shoulder, his expression Stern, the way she looked at Jack when he’d challenged Rhys, protective and warning her to back off. How they passed things to each other like they had a connection, but then she and Rhys used to be like that in the kitchen. even tonight it was to ianto jack had passed his water bottle too, he’d delibrately turned to ianti before confronting her, as if all his will and strength came from him, the most junior member of the team, he wasn’t asking for support from Tosh who’d been their far longer than any of them or Owen as a former second in command, it was ianto he turned too. </p><p>She’d never seen Jack look so vulnerable as he had until ianto had silently slipped in to the SUV, thinking about it was hard to escape how hers and Jacks behaviour had mirrored each other’s. Maybe Jack did understand how she felt.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Ianto</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ianto </p><p>Ianto felt tosh’s eyes on him, he placed running his hand through his hair, he knew he had to get out of hub. Be anywhere away from gwens cutting words, Jacks temper, from tosh’s prying eyes. Anywhere. Perhaps it had been something that he should have expected, had probably been building since Jack got back, it had always been brewing under the surface between Gwen and him, maybe it was over due, but couldn’t it have happened when they weren’t in the middle of case. And actually it wasn’t Gwen he had that his anger was directed towards. The look in tosh’s eyes told him she was piecing things together, all day jack had butted heads with Gwen, pulling his own emotions in to some sort of crazy emotional love triangle. He knew he’d become the focus of gwens ire from the minute she’d heard him tell Jack it was a harwoods lorry. Why couldn’t tosh have been on the mission while he coordinated, he knew why, Jack liked him being out in the field to Jack it was more time spent together but today it was placing him in oppisition to an already aggravated Gwen.</p><p>To make it worse Jack done a complete u turn on ever allowing Rhys to find out about Torchwood, even invited him in to the hub. Well ok prehaps not invited, once again given in to Gwens demands, what exactly did she have over his, his what? Part time shag as Owen had called them, friends with benefit, undoubtly since Jack got back they were at least beginning to be more than that. </p><p>He found himself leaning against the railing over looking the bay he pulled the packet of cigarets from his waist coat pocket, he wondered if Jack was still watching, he knew Jack hated him smoking, mutterings about having a short time together and ianto shouldn’t making shorter, It would be the first time today jack had actually payed him any attention. If he was he was going to enjoy this cigarette, an act of difiance. Why should he care when Jack clearly cared more about Gwen than him.</p><p>The day had been a total dissenter, both he and Rhys were lucky to be alive. At least when Rhys was in danger Gwen had been at his side while Jack had screamed orders at him to get after the man that had literally just pointed a gun at almost point blank range at his chest. If that had been Gwen, ianto wondered, it didn’t take much wondering, a man he’d only met literally hours before, mattered more than ianto, hell a sodding space whale mattered more than ianto, he knew if it had been Gwen Dale wouldn’t have survived. </p><p> </p><p>When he told Rhys to let take the bullet he knew how Rhys felt, he’d always take the gullet for Jack, he let out a bitter chuckle, taking the bullet for some one immortal, but Gwen was right life was less cold and lonely when you had someone. </p><p>He didn’t even blame Gwen for interrupting the compassionable silence that fallen between the team after her and Rhys left, as cutting as her words were, she was right, the love Rhys had for her was amazing, he had been beginning to see what feel that loneliness ebb away with every look every touch had started warming the bone deep coldness that he’d felt since Lisa’s death. Gwen had given Jack the perfect chance too prove her wrong, to show her that no he did understand how she felt. To show him, when she’d said they didn’t have any partners he could have as passionately pointed out that he did! But his passion was saved for showing Gwen it was her that Jack would miss. </p><p>He hadn’t even looked at ianto when he’d taken his water bottle back. </p><p>With a sigh ianto flicked his butt in to the bay, no jack had proved what ever they had it couldn’t be what ianto wanted, maybe it was time to stop this before they both got drawn in again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Jack</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Watching Gwen and Rhys move out of the angle of the CCTV jack put his hands together and blew out the breathe he hadn’t even realised he’d been holding. It had been one hell of a day! <br/>They’d got out alive, just, Gwen had put them all at risk, she’d behaved unprofessionally putting Rhys first all day, challenging him at literally every turn. He hadn’t realised he was still starting at the screen until he recoignsed the dejected figure of ianto using the railings for support, watching him pull the cigarette packet from his pocket and light up. He noticed iantos eyes flick up towards the camera, did he know that he was being watched. He watched iantos rye smile yes, that was a deliberate fuck  you jack Harkness, shorten my life expectancy I will. Then they’d all decided that hadn’t they the day they’d joined Torchwood, the day he’d recruited them all. But Gwen was right they’d all signed up for this. Ianto most of all, indeed Jack knew ianto couldn’t remember a time before Torchwood. </p><p>it wasn’t the weird dynamic he’d always had with Gwen or even that even as the youngest member of the team that it was ianto that had suffered the most of the hands of Torchwood, that bothered him the most. There was something about that young Welshman that after today he could know longer deny. </p><p>He’d reacted to gwens words because she was challenging him not as he knew the others thought because he wanted her, perhaps once he had. Perhaps that was even behind his annoyance at Rhys’s existence. But today had forced feelings to the surface that he wasn’t entirely sure he was ready for. </p><p>Gwen and her obvious confusion towards towards him had allowed him to deflect his feelings towards the other welsh colleague on to her and hide behind that than admit that either she was serious about Rhys or more frightening to him that he could possibly be falling for ianto. Falling? No today had proved he already had. </p><p>Bloody Gwen asking ianto if Rhys had got away, why couldn’t she have asked Owen, ianto was only trapped because he was checking on HER boyfriend. Was that some sort of revenge, putting his ianto in danger because she’d never wanted Rhys on the the operation. Some sort or tit for tat spite. But that would rely on Gwen actually knowing what Ianto meant to him and he wasn’t entirely sure himself. No that was a lie. </p><p> </p><p>He’d been almost too slow to react but when Owen had informed them that it had been Rhys and ianto that had been discovered, but his heart had stopped, he’d had to stretch for Gwen, he certainly didn’t feel as calm as he hoped his voice sounded. It was almost it wasn’t him saying the words “it will be ok” because he really wasn’t sure, at that point he’d wanted to do exactly what she had started to do and hot foot it straight to wherever their boyfriends were. Boyfriends? But that’s definately what Rhys was, there was no doubt, ianto though? Again there it was he was questioning something he already knew the answer too. </p><p>That was why today had teatered on the knife edge, there had been so many agendas today, ones that the whole team was aware of to get in safe the whale recon the Gang and get the out simple one with their experience Gwens compassion, owens medical knowledge, Toshiko and iantos coordination and clear up should have been one of the simplest jobs they’d ever taken on, they were his team and they really were the best today really shouldn’t not have even been a challenge and gwen’s agenda to keep Rhys safe, her actions were at best risky but then there were known about, mitigated by what had been planned as Rhys minimal involvement he was to get away, but it was whatever had ended up playing out between him and Gwen and his own agenda to keep the youngest of the team safe, and whatever agenda had played out between him and Gwen. </p><p>Dales I’ll shoot the delivery boy had ring through him it reminded him of dismissive way Owen would spit your just the teaboy at ianto, the teaboy and the delivery boy, to any one two of the most expendable parts of the jigsaw, but to him and Gwen that simply wasn’t the case. Their lives had been in danger and he and gwens behaviour had mirrored each other. Some how even the lose of the creature would have been something they could all have come to terms with but he and Gwen had totally failed, Rhys had been shot and ianto had been staring down the barrel of Dales gun. They’d failed to protect the two most precious things. He sighed. There it was then, there was no denying it. </p><p>Jack looked up as the blast door opened he watched as ianto muttered something to tosh and grabbed his suit jacket before retreating again through the blast door. He hadn’t even glanced towards Jacks office. </p><p>Couldn’t ianto see he’d tried to tell Gwen, tell her they understood HE UNDERSTOOD. And he did, he understood more than Gwen knew, perhaps more than at that point of time than he knew. The world was beginning to be a lot less cold and lonely. For the second time today he’d been too slow to react, he’d been too slow to process that Gwens words had stung so much, he hadn’t been able to stop or react to her tirade, and for the third time he’d been far too slow to react to the hurt in iantos body language as he’d grabbed the water bottle back from him. </p><p>He watched ianto throw his suit jacket and coat in to the back seat of the Audi, he couldn’t miss the hurt now. </p><p>With a sigh tomorrow he had to fix this. <br/>He shook his head as his own words echos in his reverie “you love him that makes you vulnerable”</p>
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